MELAKA: There is a sufficient supply of paracetamol in Melaka's community pharmacies although a popular brand has run out because of the high demand among consumers in the state due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

       Melaka Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) deputy chairman Soh Lai Yoke said the disruption of supply of the popular brand was reported a week ago as suppliers and manufacturers were also affected.

       "There are many brands and types of paracetamol sold in the market including in the community pharmacy chains, and based on the information I have obtained so far, the Panadol brands of 'ActiFast', 'Soluble' and 'Extend' are out of stock due to high demand but other types of Panadol like Optizorb are still available.

       "The popular brand has its regular clientele who believe it works more effectively than other brands, especially if they have a fever due to Covid-19 infection," she told Bernama here on Thursday (Feb 24).

       She said, therefore, the public should not be worried if they have different brands of paracetamol as the dosage and effectiveness of the drug is the same. The only difference is in terms of branding.

       She said the public was also advised not to buy surplus supplies of paracetamol to avoid other brands from also experiencing supply disruptions.

       Meanwhile, Melaka Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) director Norena Jaafar said so far her team had not received complaints about the shortage of paracetamol supply in the state but confirmed that there was an increase in paracetamol purchases by consumers.

       "Based on the monitoring done by KPDNHEP conducted in the field, I was informed that the purchases of paracetamol have recently increased and each customer is stocking up on an extra strip of paracetamol.

       "However, the supply of paracetamol is not completely cut off because the disruption only involved a few brands of paracetamol and monitoring will continue to be done periodically," she said.

       A survey by Bernama at several community pharmacies in Kota Laksamana, here, found that several types of paracetamol of a leading brand had been out of stock for the past one to three weeks, and pharmacies were still waiting for stocks from their suppliers.

       On Feb 18, Bernama reported that the supply of paracetamol, a drug commonly used to relieve fever and headaches, was reported to be in short supply and relatively difficult to find at community pharmacies and convenience stores in the capital and several other places.

       MPS president Amrahi Buang, who also confirmed the matter, said through the information he received, the problem of paracetamol shortage, especially involving the leading brand, had not only occurred in the capital, but also in several other states over the past few months.

       This arose due to relatively high purchases during the Covid-19 pandemic period, other than possibly related to logistical issues involving the drug's manufacturers and distributors. - Bernama